What do you class as a Timewaster?

Anastasia

Anastasia

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Over The Rainbow
www.morayfirthstud.co.uk
Just out of curiosity, if you are selling anything, be it a horse etc, at what point do you class people as timewasters??

For me its when people send cheques that bounce, or say money is coming and never does, or pay a deposit and nothing else, or say they are definately buying then keep you hanging on and then eventually they come out with a story......
 
When I don't like them the moment they get out of the car.

When they start to ask stupid questions.

When it is perfectly clear that they don't have the capabilities they professed over the telephone.

Basically, I don't have time for anyone messing me around with all their talk about what they can do, when it's clear they can't!!

I have no qualms about turning people away within no time if I feel they are wasting my time or are idiots. I don't sell to idiots.
 
when they say they definately, definately want your horse, even arrange to pick it up... and you never hear from them again!!
or when they come to have a look with absolutely no intention of buying (cant afford it, want a showjumper when its a dressage horse etc)!!!
 
People who havent the money, people who only come for a free ride, and worst of all (my hate) people who arrange to view and don't turn up. The latter group should be shot IMPO.
 
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I don't sell to idiots.

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That about sums it up.......perfectly...
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And YES those people who say they are coming and never come, without phoning do my nut in!!
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[ QUOTE ]
When I don't like them the moment they get out of the car.

When they start to ask stupid questions.

When it is perfectly clear that they don't have the capabilities they professed over the telephone.

Basically, I don't have time for anyone messing me around with all their talk about what they can do, when it's clear they can't!!

I have no qualms about turning people away within no time if I feel they are wasting my time or are idiots. I don't sell to idiots.

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what she said...
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My hubby thinks that people who come out with "I have to show the video to my trainer" are timewasters. He is a farmer and wonders why people dont have the sense to know what they are looking for in a horse themselves, and ultimately means they dont have a clue what they are looking for.
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Me too - Ive never understood why people say they are coming and then don't... why not just say they aren't interested in the first place
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[ QUOTE ]
When I don't like them the moment they get out of the car.

When they start to ask stupid questions.

When it is perfectly clear that they don't have the capabilities they professed over the telephone.

Basically, I don't have time for anyone messing me around with all their talk about what they can do, when it's clear they can't!!

I have no qualms about turning people away within no time if I feel they are wasting my time or are idiots. I don't sell to idiots.

[/ QUOTE ]

LMAO.
 
From the buyer's point of view:

Horses that are mis-described in the ad and/or on the phone, so that when you turn up the "16.2hh potential eventer" is a 15.1 12 yr old that hasn't been out of the field for a year.

Sellers who can't ride the horse and haven't arranged for anyone else to show it under saddle.

You drive hours to see a horse, turn up on the dot of the appointed time, only to be told, "sorry we sold it yesterday". Hello - PHONE!!!

You see the horse, ride it, seems nice, so you ask about a vetting. Err, amm, weeeelll, its already failed two vettings.......but you can try again if you want. Errrmmmm, NO!

Buyers are worse timewasters I know. But sellers can be timewasters too.
 
I was very careful not to be a timewaster when I was looking in the summer.

I only viewed 3 horses. One I didn't ride - it wasn't straight in any shape or form, regardless of being told it was when questioned over the phone.

One I sat on for two mins and got of pdq - horrid.

And Thumper. Rode him, liked him, struck a deal, organised vet, picked him up immediately after the vetting.

Perfect buyer me
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anyone who

isn't serious about buying
hasn't got enough money for the horse
has nowhere to keep it
turns up to see a horse with no riding hat
tells fibs about their abilities
says they'll have a horse & then doesn't with no good reason
sees a horse 4+ times & then for no apparent reason doesn't buy it or says something daft like too big/small
says 'oh well we are just looking as can't afford to buy yet' - happened to my friend last week
 
You'd all like me as a buyer then....I bought my old mare after seeing her in a field because I liked the look of her (I did get her vetted first)...my 3yo I bought as a weanling...spoke to the owner on the phone once, then sent him a cheque. In return he sent me the papers...and the horse.
S
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[ QUOTE ]
My hubby thinks that people who come out with "I have to show the video to my trainer" are timewasters. He is a farmer and wonders why people dont have the sense to know what they are looking for in a horse themselves, and ultimately means they dont have a clue what they are looking for.
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[/ QUOTE ]

ah , now i have done that before & never yet looked at a horse without intention & funds to buy or that has been wholey unsuitable ( unless completely misled by the seller), & the reason i have said it is when i have really quite liked a horse & potentially want my instructor to go back with me

(i) i may have a niggle that i want her to check out , past experience - i think its great but 1 i worried may be a bit too much for me , another i wasn't quite sure about its movement in a particular leg

(ii) she dosn't want to waste her time going to see horses that within a few minutes she dismisses for some reason so prefers to see a video first

a video means that i don't waste her time , my own or the sellers with a second visit that proves fruitless for all concerned
 
However there are two sides to every story!!! I got called a time waster a few weeks ago purely because I did not want the horse in question. The horse was not as described and was lame behind!! I turned up, saw it ridden and immediately said no. i had travelled 80 miles to see this horse, and was insulted to be called a time waster! If anything the 'seller' was a time waster telling me a series of 'white lies' as she called them to sell me the horse!! I think sellers can be just as much 'time wasters' as buyers!!
 
When they turn round and say they don't like this this or this (facts that they have always known such as age, height, colour!)
OR they blame you when you have pointed out to them what the horse does/has a fault.
And of course the ones that never show up
 
I agree with most of the above.
But it's such a minefield for buyers and sellers with quite often large amounts of money changing hands that I'm sure for the sake of the horse, it would be better for all concerned to be completely sure they are making the right move before it is bought, found to be not wanted / suitable / whatever and then moved on to another home.
Having said that, there is NO excuse for not turning up or at least not phoning to cancel a viewing - I even phoned to say I wasn't going to see a lorry when buying one as I couldn't make it!!
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I bought my chap as a yearling from a video, (which I showed to more or less everyone I'd ever met!
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), his papers, and recommendations of his seller by people I know and trust. As he was in Germany and I'm in the UK, it was much easier but a heck of a risk for me - not to mention the nightmares I had imagining every possible disaster when I imported him. Luckily, all was fine, and he's everything I could ever hope for!
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Ahh thats nice! I currently have a lovely pre novice, hunter allrounder for sale, he is dead easy to ride and handel in every possible way really is perfect, i had someone try him the other day, and when she came on the yard she then said she had only been riding for 3months! i wish she had told me that on the phone.. as i wouldnt have suggested she came out! because he has been nicely schooled he was a little confused at her aids! i suggested she went and had lots more lessons before she went any further, apparently she had looked at over 60 horses...
 
I found lots of timewasting sellers when trying to find my new horse. Several where horse was described as laid back and sane - then the owners wouldn't ride it because it was mental. Several were clearly lame or suffering health issues but were being sold as fit and ready to go. I spent an hour on the phone with one woman and was brutally honest about my riding capability so as not to waste her time. Got there and the horse was nothing (and I mean nothing) like she described at all. 100 mile trip each way for stuff all.
As a buyer i had to cancel one appointment as Sid had to have the vet out - I phoned immediately to say I couldn't come, explained why and apologised profusely. I would never dream of just not turning up.
 
When you spend ages getting the horse looking nice and they dont turn up. No phone call. Nothing.
This summer I got so fed up with timewasters like that. I stopped getting horses in and ready for viewers. They had to come and catch them with me if they did turn up!!
 
How about the woman who rings and says the horse sounds perfect, she would love to see him can she him on Tuesday. I explain Tuesday is no good but I can get my OH to ring her with his diary so they can arrange a mutually convienient time.
So we ring back no answer and leave a message, she doesn't ring back so I ring again the next day just in case I rang the wrong number, no reply so I don't leave a message.
On Tuesday she rings and leaves a message apologising but something happened and can I ring her - fair enough. So OH rings her back and she says right I can be with you in half an hour. Er no you can't we already explained we are at our trainers and are not available. OH says I have my diary so when would you like to come? Oh she says I need to sort out my week with work and can I ring you back?
No problemd says OH and guess what? Yep she hasn't rung back!
That is a timewaster!
 
I class as a timewaster anyone who pretends to have serious intent when they dont. Or who wastes your time asking detailed questions, arranging elaborate trials only announce at the end of several weeks/months that they are not interested because the horse does (insert very minor random fault). And then you find out a year or so later that they still havent bought a horse because they are so damned fussy.

Its the same when selling houses. The ones that are timewasters invariably ask loads of minute detailed questions that wouldnt really influence your buying a house, such as "Is the wallpaper Farrer and Ball?" and phone and text constantly for more details if you are unwise enough to give them your phone number. Its the ones that come round, are quite quiet, ask only relevant questions and dont stay excessively long that put the offers in!
 
People who don't even read the advert first

how big... 11.1hh .......too big for my boy
how much?... £xxxxxx... ooooo, can't afford that
when all this is in the advert!!
 
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